Red Hook's Pioneer Works Reopens After $12 Million Update

By Adam Daly, Brooklyn Paper

City officials and local leaders gathered Thursday to celebrate the completion of a $12 million renovation at Pioneer Works, a Red Hook nonprofit dedicated to art and science.

The project, supported by $3.4 million in city funding, includes major accessibility upgrades and infrastructure improvements to the 150-year-old former ironworks factory and its adjoining 20,000-square-foot garden.

The renovation also includes the installation of a full-service elevator, a new wheelchair-accessible pathway in the garden, and a central HVAC system, allowing the space to host year-round programming.

“Pioneer Works is one of our city’s most exciting cultural institutions, bringing extraordinary, cutting-edge work by artists from around the globe to this dynamic community hub in the heart of Red Hook,” NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo said following the ribbon cutting. “We’re proud of the city’s investment in this much-needed renovation project, which brings this historic building into the present day and makes its full footprint more open and accessible than ever before.”

The project was funded through contributions from the Office of the Mayor, Brooklyn borough president, and City Council, as well as support from New York State, the Sands Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and other private donors. Empire State Development also provided $2.3 million in state funding.

“Pioneer Works exemplifies how cultural institutions serve as powerful engines of both economic growth and social progress,” said Hope Knight, president, CEO, and commissioner of Empire State Development. “This transformation of an historic Brooklyn landmark into a cutting-edge center for artistic and scientific innovation does more than preserve our industrial heritage — it creates a dynamic space where creativity, technology, and community converge.”

Constructed in 1866 as the Pioneer Iron Works manufacturing facility and rebuilt after an 1881 fire, the historic red-brick structure has been transformed into a cultural center that now hosts artist residencies, exhibitions, and public programs.

Since its founding in 2012, Pioneer Works has become a hub for artistic, social, and economic activity, attracting over 50,000 visitors annually. More than 90 percent of its programming is free to the public.

“The central aim of this undertaking is to better reflect and support the diverse needs of our growing community in the architecture and design of our space,” said Mara Manus, CEO of Pioneer Works. “These critical accessibility improvements enable significant transformations to Pioneer Works’ infrastructure, aligning with our mission to foster the free exchange of ideas through programming that is open and accessible to all.”

The recent upgrade also ensures that the center can continue to serve as an inclusive space for artists, students, and community members.

“This renovation is about more than updating an historic building; it’s really about creating the dedicated home for local arts and culture that our communities deserve,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “Pioneer Works is a space where artists, students, and neighbors from Red Hook and beyond can come to connect with each other, to create and share ideas, and to envision a brighter future.”

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

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